THE BOYS OF SUMMER…CLEVELAND INDIANS

Wednesday, March 14 – After our long hike on Monday and brief visit to The University of Arizona, we made the decision to drive to Buckeye, AZ, Tuesday morning. We still had several places we wanted to see and hikes to do, but we know this is one place we will visit again in the future. Our friends from Ohio, Kenny and Connie, are staying at the same campground as we are.

We drove a couple of hours and arrived at Leaf Verde in Buckeye. We stayed in this park in February, 2010. We are here to watch a few of the Cleveland Indians spring training games. We didn't remember the campground being so big and the sites being a bit tight. They aren't too bad but could be bigger for sure.

We are in site F17.

Looking to our right.

Left

We are not particular fond of way the pull thrus are arranged with our door opening to the rear of the MH next to us. Doesn't seem to be much privacy. They do have a ton of activities here, a very nice laundry room and extra warm pool. We will be here for two weeks.

Thursday, March 15 - Well, here it is. The reason we're here in Goodyear, Arizona. It's SPRING TRAINING BASEBALL and the CLEVELAND INDIANS!!!! We enjoy baseball, but Marsha is a CRAZY Indians fan!

We're off to the ball park to see the Cleveland Indians play the Chicago White Sox.

The game starts at 1:05, but the gates open at 11:30 and we intend to be there early. Marsha is seeking autographs, especially from Rick Manning, the announcer for the Cleveland Indians, former centerfielder, and her favorite all-time player. She is even taking along his jersey #20 that Paul bought her a “couple” years ago on her 30^th birthday.

We arrived at the ball park about the time the gates were opening. We talked to the fellow standing watch at the press box door. We asked about when the announcers (Rick Manning) would arrive. He suggested we we might want to meander over to the press gate where they enter the stadium. So we headed that way.

Just as we reached the entrance, who should walk by but Rick Manning. Marsha asked him to autograph her jersey which he was more than happy to do. He then gave her a hug and said how about a picture. She loved it and Paul snapped the picture.

She said she was about to faint.

Isn't he just GORGEOUS….that is Marsha talking NOT Paul.

As we began to walk away, who should walk by but Matt Underwood, the other Indians announcer. We called out and asked Matt to sign Marsha's baseball. He also was very happy to do so and to pose for a photograph.

He is a cutie too….Marsha talking again NOT Paul.

So with Marsha on Cloud 9, we headed down to our seats to wait for the start of the game. Kenny and Connie soon arrived, and we settled in to watch the game with our signs hoping to flash them for the TV cameras.

Our starting pitcher, Justin Masterson, for the game signing autographs.

Our super catcher, Carlos Santana.

The boys of summer.

Paul won't allow Marsha to put up the entire individual team photos. She is the only one who knows them by name and face…OH BROTHER!

It didn't take long for Marsha's and Connie's phones to start ringing. Friends and family, back home in Canton, Ohio, were calling to say we were on TV. By the time the game was over, reports from home indicated numerous camera shots of us with our sign and several close-ups. Our 15 minutes (or would that be seconds) of fame. Maybe a little silly but cool too!

Marsha's brother taped the game and took a picture of the tape….hence the blue bar at the bottom of the picture.

Just one of the many many highlights of the game.

We had a great day with friends at the ball park. Oh yeah, the Indians won 12-3.

Read it and weep White Sox fans.

It was a beautiful sunny day to boot.....85 sunny degrees. We then returned to the campground and finished the day with neighbors and friends with a little happy hour.

To start off this baseball season, we will leave you with a few of our favorite sayings by the great Yogi Berra.

      1. “It’s like deja vu all over again.”
      2. “We made too many wrong mistakes.”
      3. “You can observe a lot just by watching.”
      4. “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”
      5. “He hits from both sides of the plate. He’s amphibious.”

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to y'all back real soon. Have a great day!